COVID-19: Can complete vaccination within 3 months if we get adequate vaccine doses, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

Kejriwal said that due to good arrangements in Delhi, people from NCR towns like Noida, Ghaziabad were also reaching here to take the COVID-19 vaccine jab.

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday (May 8, 2021) said that the Delhi government can complete the COVID-19 vaccination drive within three months if they get adequate coronavirus vaccine doses.

The AAP supremo stated that the number of COVID-19 vaccination centres will be increased three times in the national capital and also demanded that the Centre supply of around 2.6 crore vaccine doses for inoculation of all people in Delhi in the next three months.

"Currently, vaccination is going on at 100 centres in Delhi. The number of centres will be increased to 250-300 by the Delhi government," Kejriwal said.

"In order to vaccinate all people in Delhi, over three crore doses will be required, out of which around 40 lakh have already been received," he added.

Kejriwal requested the Centre to provide the Delhi government with 85 lakh coronavirus vaccine doses per month so that all the Delhiites could be vaccinated in the next three months.

He said that due to good arrangements in Delhi, people from NCR towns like Noida, Ghaziabad were also reaching here to get the vaccines. 

"So, Delhi will require a little more than three crore doses," he said.

The Delhi CM informed that they currently have vaccine doses to vaccinate people for the next 5-6 days and urged the Centre to provide adequate doses.

He said that Delhi is currently administering one lakh vaccine doses per day and it could increase this number to three lakh.

Citing warnings of the third wave of COVID-19, he said that vaccination is the only safeguard against the deadly virus and appealed to the Centre and the experts for finding alternatives to vaccinate children below 18 years of age. 

Meanwhile, the Centre on Saturday said that it has so far provided more than 17.49 crore vaccine doses to states and UTs free of cost. 

"More than 84 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses (84,08,187) are still available with the states and UTs to be administered. States with a negative balance are showing more consumption (including wastage) than vaccine supplied as they have not reconciled the vaccine they have supplied to Armed Forces," the Centre said in a press statement.

They stated that more than 53 lakh vaccine doses will be received in addition by the states and UTs within the next 3 days.

(With agency inputs)